Braised Duck with Potatoes

A dish worthy of a holiday table — quick and delicious. This easy recipe is a real treat for anyone who loves duck. Braised together with vegetables, you get juicy, aromatic meat plus a built-in side that soaks up all the duck's juices and rich fat.

Maria

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Duck legs

500

Water (approximately)

Potatoes (small potatoes)

500

Garlic

Carrot

Bay leaf

Vegetable oil

Herbes de Provence (dried herb blend)

2.5

Ground black pepper

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 21 % 4 g

Fats 53 % 10 g

Carbohydrates 26 % 5 g

124 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make braised duck? Start by gathering your ingredients. Use whatever duck you have on hand. If you've got a whole bird, just cut it into serving pieces and pick your favorites. Not every store carries individual cuts (in case you'd rather not buy a whole duck), but I managed to track down a couple of legs — they're perfect for braising.
Step 2:

Rinse and pat the duck legs dry. If you like, you can cut each leg into two pieces — the thigh and the drumstick. I left mine whole.
Step 3:

Season the meat with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the herbes de Provence.
Step 4:

Cut the carrot into rounds or quarter-rounds.
Step 5:

Peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. If they're small, you can leave them whole.
Step 6:

Peel the garlic. You can halve the larger cloves lengthwise.
Step 7:

Layer the potatoes and carrot in a deep, heavy baking dish (a lidded Dutch oven is even better). Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. If you like, toss in an onion cut into wedges as well.
Step 8:

Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet and sear the duck legs over high heat until they turn golden brown. Unlike chicken or turkey, duck is very fatty, so it renders plenty of fat as it cooks — whether you're frying, braising, or roasting.
Step 9:

Arrange the seared duck legs, garlic cloves, and bay leaf on top of the vegetables.
Step 10:

Pour in enough water to just cover the vegetables. You can add the rendered fat from the skillet if you want, though the dish will be plenty rich as is. Cover the dish with a lid (or seal it tightly with foil) and bake in a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for 50 minutes. For a crispier, more golden crust on the duck, uncover and broil for another 10 minutes or so. Enjoy!

Keep in mind that every oven is different, so the temperature and timing may vary a bit from what's listed here. Get to know your own oven's quirks to help any roasted or baked dish turn out well.
Turn the oven on ahead of time (10–20 minutes before you start cooking) so it's fully preheated when you're ready.